Housing Group Hit By Protests

January 01, 1993|By Janita Poe.

A small group of south suburban pastors and church members protested outside the office of a fair-housing organization Thursday, charging that the agency is poorly managed and does not adequately represent the people it serves.

Carrying placards that read "Crooked Leaders Can't Run a Straight Organization" and "Don't Allow a Few Bad Apples to Spoil the Whole Bunch," the half-dozen protesters called for the resignation of two top officials of the South Suburban Action Conference (SSAC), director Mike Kruglik and Bill Goldsmith, head of the organization's housing arm.

The protest group, which included about a half-dozen members of the Concerned Pastors and Residents of South Suburbia, some of whom are members of SSAC, marched for about one hour outside the office. The SSAC is located in the St. Anne's Catholic Church Annex on Lincoln Street in Hazel Crest.

"We are dissatisfied with their method of operation, and we're tired of being ignored as pastors," said Rev. Willie Halbert, pastor of St. Luke's Baptist Church in Robbins and one of the organizers of the demonstration that was composed of representatives from predominantly African-American churches. "We don't want another slum in our community."

Halbert said that some residents of the SSAC homes have complained to his group that the houses were not properly renovated. He also said SSAC does not fully represent the people who need fair housing, many of whom are African-American and Hispanic.

But SSAC founder Leonard Dubi, who is the pastor of St. Anne's, contended that protest was organized as a vendetta against the firing of John Arrington, a former SSAC staff member.

"It's the firing of John Arrington," said Dubi, who said he was especially frustrated by the demonstration because it interrupted an Alcoholics' Anonymous meeting at the annex.

Arrington was dismissed in September after "numbers of different warnings and conversations about his job," said Dubi. He had worked two years for SSAC.

Dubi, who became engaged in a heated confrontation with members of the group after he noticed them demonstrating outside the office, said he has tried to work with the group and resolve any conflicts.

SSAC is a union of about 40 south suburban churches governed by church officials.